Sometimes it is easy to forget that the netbook revolution started just two short years ago when Asus introduced the Eee PC 701. Their popularity was almost instant with Asus selling over 300,000 units in the first three months. Now in 2009 there are more netbooks than ever in the market and giants like Dell, HP and Sony all have offerings. So with Christmas coming up, here is a run down of the good, the mad and the stylish in the netbook marketplace.
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Asus Eee 701
Since Asus started the revolution it is fitting to start with them. The 701 is still available and comes with a 7 inch screen, 512 MB RAM, 8 GB SDD and a neat 900 MHz processor. It isn’t the best netbook on the market, but it is compact, portable and only costs £124.99. Verdict: Good |
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Asus Eee PC 1005HA Seashell
Sticking with Asus their current most popular model is the Eee PC 1005HA Seashell. This black netbook has a 10-inch screen and uses the Intel Atom N280 processor running at 1.66 GHz. It comes with 1 GB RAM, a 160 GB HDD and comes pre-installed with Windows XP. The battery life is great as well and you can expect up to 10 Hours of usage. Notice the progression from the original 701 with its 7 inch display, solid state disk and custom version of Linux to the 1005HA with its 10 inch display, 160GB hard drive and Windows. The 1005HA can be found for just £293. Note that there is also a cheaper version with a less powerful battery (up to 8.5 hours battery life) for only £253. Verdict: Good. |
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Samsung NC10
The most popular netbook at the moment is the Samsung NC10. It has Similar specs to the Asus 1005HA but is slightly cheaper at £269. |
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Acer Aspire One D150-1Bw
Another solid netbook which is selling well is the Acer Aspire One. The D150-1Bw model has a 10 inch screen along with an Intel Atom Processor N280, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD and Windows XP Home. The 10.1 inch display uses CrystalBrite technology which is an ultra-fine, highly polished coating to which makes the display a easy on the eyes. It is available in four high-gloss colour options including white, blue, red and black. Verdict: Good. |
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Viliv S7
Enough of the “good” and onto the “mad”. For £700 you can get a Viliv S7 which has a neat swivel touch-screen display and GPS. It will give you 7 hours of continue movie playback but only comes with a 60GB hard drive. Nice features, nice idea but a bit expensive for me. Verdict: Mad. |
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Sony Vaio P19WNQ
Another expensive netbook is the Sony Vaio P19WNQ. It comes with a tiny 8 inch screen and like the S7 it has a 60GB hard drive. But it does have 2GB of memory, why? Because it runs Windows Vista. If that isn’t enough to drive you mad, it costs £800. Verdict: Mad. |
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Panasonic CF-19KHRAHAE Toughbook
What about if you wanted to take your netbook on a construction site and drop it. Panasonic has a netbook that has been made tough. It is manufactured to endure 6-foot drops and to withstand violent shocks and vibrations. They are fabricated to operate at temperatures over 140° and below -20° Fahrenheit and function both at high altitude and under increased atmospheric pressure. The Panasonic CF-19KHRAHAE Toughbook comes with a dual core CPU, 2 GB memory, a 160GB hard drive and has 10.4 inch screen. The price is interesting to say the least, £3689. Verdict: Mad. |
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HP Mini 100 line by Vivienne Tam
Now for some style. HP has teamed up with designer Vivienne Tam to style the HP Mini 100 line. The butterfly print on the casing of these machines match Tam’s Spring 2010 collection. It comes with a 10 inch display, Intel Atom processor and will retail for around £420. Verdict: Stylish. |
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Acer Ferrari One Netbook
For the boys there is the Acer Ferrari One netbook. It weighs just 1.5 kilograms and uses a 11.6 inc screen. It has a dual core CPU from AMD and packs 2GB of memory and a 160GB hard drive. The Acer Ferrari One will be available from October the 22nd at a price of around £440. Verdict: Stylish. |
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If you aren't into Vivienne Tam or Ferrari you can always rely on Sony for something stylish but not overt. The Sony Vaio W series are cool and have a great build quality. They come with fairly standard specifications like Intel Atom processor, 16GB hard drive and a 10 inch screen. They start at around £350. Verdict: Stylish. |
